Cooper Kupp could have been a winner either way. Had he not been let go by the Los Angeles Rams last offseason, he would have been a part of one of the two teams in the NFC Championship game. But he was let go, and the Seattle Seahawks scooped him up. Seattle needed him more.
It wasn't Kupp's production that helped Mike Macdonald's team the most. Instead, the wide receiver's leadership and understanding of how teams, not individuals, consistently win football games. He has the opposite approach of former Seahawks wide receiver DK Metcalf, and that was the entire point.
Whereas Metcalf was a bit of a hot-head on the field and an alpha in the locker room, Kupp fits the current Seattle culture much better. While Metcalf has been statistically more productive for his new team, the Pittsburgh Steelers, than Kupp was with Seattle this year, Kupp has been what Seattle needed far more than Metcalf.
Cooper Kupp says what all Seattle Seahawks fans wanted to hear
The first-year Seahawks player is appreciative of where the Seahawks currently are in the season, but also thankful for how the team is built. He is a part of it, sure, but he understands the whole should also be better than the pieces, and it takes a team to win a Super Bowl, just as Kupp did with the Rams in 2021.
Speaking with the media ahead of facing his old team in the NFC Championship, Kupp said, "All these guys here that step on this field, they've all had a story to get them to this point. They've all had a journey of what this year has been, what the last few years have been, to come to this point. Mine is just one of 53 that are going to be on that field. And my story, this is an unbelievable storyline, the chances of this ends up being what it is, and I'm really excited about that."
Kupp also praised the coaching staff for how hard they work and how well they get the team to win. The wide receiver also implied that the 2026 Seahawks are just a bit different in how they approach the sport and how they feel connected to winning any game.
There is a big difference between this year and the 2025 team. While Mike Macdonald was still the head coach of that team, players such as Geno Smith and DK Metcalf created a culture that didn't feel totally one. Smith would get visibly frustrated on the field, for instance, and was far too up and down emotionally.
Kupp and new quarterback Sam Darnold have helped make the team more even-keel. Bad things happen, sure, but the future could be better. Geno Smith sometimes acted as if the roof was caving in. So did Metcalf. Moreover, each in their own way wanted out of Seattle. The Seahawks preferred Kupp and Darnold, players who wanted to be a part of the team.
Kupp was signed to a three-year deal last offseason, but not with the idea that he would produce 1,500 receiving yards. His leadership was going to be far more valuable. The Seattle Seahawks could have signed a player who would have likely had better statistics, but not one who was going to help change the culture of the team to one that Mike Macdonald wanted.